Homeowner Allegedly Chops Down 100 Protected Trees to Improve His View

An investigation is underway after hikers noticed that nearly 100 trees on a public footpath in Arkansas had been cut down illegally. Walkers believe that it was done by a local resident to allow a better view of a lake from their garden.

Kay Sanders, who has been hiking the Ouachita National Recreation Trail in Arkansas for 30 years, was horrified to see the damage done on the route last week.

"There is [sic] dead limbs everywhere and these trees — some of them will not survive. Some will, but some of them won't. It's not right," Sanders told KARK, the local TV channel.

She added that "no one has the right to do this."

One walker saw six men using chainsaws to chop down the trees on the trail last week, the Pulaski County Sherriff's Office said.

Most of the land that the path runs on is owned by Central Arkansas Water. The company says a homeowner whose property is next to the trail contracted the work for the trees to be chopped down.

"We don't take things like this lightly. The tops of the trees look like something out of the Lorax," Raven Lawson of Central Arkansas Water told the TV channel. The Lorax is an 3D computer-animated comedy film based on a Dr. Seuss book, that features environmental destruction and high numbers of fallen trees.

Lawson said she received dozens of phone calls and around 50 emails from hikers upset about the deforestation. She said the ramblers believe most of the trees will die, and the ones that survive will take years to grow back.

Lawson said hikers allege that the trees were cut down illegally because a person who owns a home backing onto the trail wanted to view Lake Maumelle, which was previously blocked.

"The view to the lake could definitely be increased. The view to Pinnacle Mountain could be increased. There's definitely a lot of nature that could produce million-dollar views out here," Lawson said.

"A lot of damage and a lot of righteousness thinking you can do all of this, that you have the power when it isn't even your land," said Sanders.

Central Arkansas Water plans to clean up the damage once the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office has finished its investigation.

Investigators told KARK the man accused of cutting down the trees could face charges of criminal mischief in the first degree.

Newsweek has contacted Pulaski County Sheriff's Office and Central Arkansas Water for comment on the investigation.